KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville woman was recognized at the U.S. Capitol building for her work building a company dedicated to supporting military spouses. It's named "Instant Teams," and connects other businesses with workers to help the businesses improve their customer experience.
Erica McMannes, the co-founder of the company who was nationally recognized, said she knows first-hand what it's like to juggle a career while also being a spouse to someone in the military.
"It's the constant moving, the constant re-settling yourself, and it's a lot of challenge — finding who you can be professionally and who you can be personally," she said.
The company gives its workers a chance to work remotely, helping make sure they can keep their jobs regardless of where the military takes them. It also helps them find community wherever they area, McMannes said.
"But 50%, 55%, are always military spouses, which is a lot of fun. And, that's our mission, is to be able to employ military spouses and allow for military families to be dual-income and have that financial stability and wellness," said McMannes.
The company also operates "Twelve Million Plus," a community space designed to connect spouses of servicemembers with each other and provide them with any resources they may need.
"All the other things that military spouses need in their lives — employment is one of them, but we want to consolidate that and bring it into app form. So, that's called Twelve Million Plus, because it represents the 12 million military spouses out there," she said.